Social Customs and Habits and Their Effect on Oral Disease

¹ University of Otago Dental School, Dunedin, New Zealand

Social customs and habits were classified, and their effects on oral diseases and conditions were reviewed. In several cases there is a significant association between individual habits and individual conditions. However, much more work is needed to deter [see figure in the PDF file] mine whether they are cause-and-effect or coincidental relationships. In future epidemiologic studies, attempts should be made to evaluate customs and habits in the context of the culture in which they are practiced. The extent to which customs and habits are related to ethnic and regional variations in the prevalence of caries was discussed.